MONTREAL — Canada’s largest private sector union plans to hold an organizing meeting Wednesday in an attempt to begin the process of representing major junior hockey players from around the country.

Unifor was created a year ago through the merger of the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions.

Unifor president Jerry Dias said Monday that the unionization of junior hockey is a long time coming.

“It’s really slid under the radar screen because that’s how people like it,” said Dias. “The facts are the owners are doing quite well and this is a subject and this is a discussion that nobody wants to have.”

The development comes over a year after a failed attempt to unionize junior hockey players in Nova Scotia. A would-be union withdrew its certification application with the provincial government in November 2012. Dias said Unifor was approached by the failed union in June for help.

There are 60 teams in the Canadian Hockey League, which is the umbrella organization for the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. A message left with a CHL spokesman was not immediately returned.